


The Man Who Held The Southern Lights In His Hands

by alpinesunflower



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Firelord Zuko is Great With Kids, Fluff, M/M, Not Beta Read, Old Man Zuko, can we start that tag?, dragon fire, we love pretty gay fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29705379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpinesunflower/pseuds/alpinesunflower
Summary: 169 AGA mysterious old man visits a small orphanage, serves the children there a feast, and then performs a fire show they'll never forget.But the mysterious old man just so happens to be the former Fire Lord, and unknown to him the show he performs will immortalize both himself and his late husband through a mythical tale that spreads across the nations.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 105





	The Man Who Held The Southern Lights In His Hands

It had been an interesting day for the children, to say the least.

The Fire Fountain City Orphanage had been visited by a mysterious old man, who upon first impression had intimidated some of the children. Half of his long white hair was held up in a traditional topknot but it was absent of a title-signifying headpiece. He had a majestic beard and wore custom robes of red and blue silk. Really, he was wearing more blue than red and as he climbed up the stairs to the entrance of the Orphanage, the sheen of the blue silk garment glimmered in the afternoon sunlight like oceanwater.

When he made it to the top of the stairs the old man smiled and began to crouch down to introduce himself to the children standing outside watching him. Unknown to the children, the man had always lowered himself to children's heights when speaking to them. Children never viewed him as the untouchable being that most adults did, and he wanted them to know that he saw them as people too. But mid-crouch he was interrupted by the caretakers rushing out the doors to greet him. The caretakers, exhausted both from their daily jobs and rushing to greet this uninvited visitor, ran through their apologies and gave their introductions. The old man exchanged pleasantries back but the children could tell that he was annoyed by being interrupted. Or maybe, some thought, the large scar that gave the old man a permanent scowl was to blame for their observation.

And so, the requested tour of the Orphanage began. The children were intrigued by their unexpected guest, and cautiously followed the group of adults as they walked throughout the property. If only they knew that the man was inspecting the quality of the walls that he and his husband had built, and was aware of the children's presence as they tiptoed in the halls and hid behind corners in attempts to eavesdrop on the conversation.

The strange man muttered in disapproval at the tattered state of the Orphanage's library, and the worn condition of their clothes and linens disappointed him more. “You never thought to write a letter?” he asked.

One caretaker began to talk about grants and royal funding before she was interrupted.

“No,” he waved his hand, “next time write a letter to myself or my daughter directly. Don’t listen to the dignitaries, we consider these urgent matters to be attended to personally.”

“Yes, your m-”

The old man put a finger to his lips, shushing the caretaker with a sly smile. “They’re listening.” He says, good eye looking behind him to where the children were hiding, and certainly listening. If the children realized they were in the presence of a Fire Lord it could scare them.

The caretaker nodded her head, remembering his instructions.

“Now. Should we go to your office to discuss matters in a more private setting?” He asked.

With the man out of sight, the children got back to their usual activities. Studying, playing, and chatting amongst themselves- most would call it plain old gossip. Their strange guest stirred up quite the conversation... could he be visiting to take one of them home? Why did the kitchens sound so busy, and why did the food being cooked smell so good? Eventually food was the only thing the children were able to think about, and the only talk was about the supposed feast this man had bought for all of them.

When supper came children sat in their normal dining arrangement, which were on cushions directly on the floor. To the chagrin of the caretakers the old man joined the children, groaning as he stretched his legs out in front of himself.

A young girl sitting next to him held out her hand. “I’m Izumi. What’s your name?”

The old man chuckled, for this young girl must’ve been named after his own daughter. He took her hand and shook it with a smile. “My name is Zuko.” Like this Izumi, there were many, many, Zuko's in the Fire Nation- much to this Zuko's annoyance. At least Izumi made for cuter nicknames.

“Where’d that scar come from?” she asked. This Izumi seemed to be just as blunt as her namesake. Zuko had always been fond of children questioning the world around them, but wasn’t about to say that the scar on his face had come from asking questions as a child himself. He ran his finger along the bottom edge of it up to his ear. “This came from my father.” Little Izumi leaned forward with her finger out, and he guessed that she was going to ask if she could touch it. By now, scars like his were a rare sight. That knowledge made him happy.

“Are you here to take one of us home?” Another child blurted. Izumi snatched her hand back and sat back down on her cushion.

“I wish,” Zuko leaned back on his hands. “But an old man like me is no fun to be around at all. My grand-nieces and nephews have made that abundantly clear. Plus my daughter would be _really_ jealous if she came home and learned that she had to share her things with a younger brother or sister.” Of course she wouldn’t, she had her own children and was the Fire Lord, but the thought was still funny. He already knew he was going to share this joke with Izumi next time he had tea with her.

“Are you an orphan too?” Another asked.

Zuko pondered. “By the time you’re my age, I sure hope everyone is an orphan.” Normally, his attempts at jokes were met with silence and awkward fake laughter but not with orphaned children. Zuko especially loved their darker humor, and the whole group of children listening in lost it. As the food was beginning to get passed around they joked about old people with skeletons and ghosts for parents, and were starting to get rowdy.

The talk of old age must've got a quieter child thinking because he asked, “Did you know Avatar Kyoshi?”

Kyoshi??? _Kyoshi???_ Zuko scowled, but the children saw no threat in it. “I’m not _that_ old…” he grumbled. “Start eating before all your food gets cold.” As the children began to chow down on a multitude of Fire Nation dishes, a silence blanketed the entire dining hall. Good food always got even the loudest kids to hush for a moment, and Zuko got the idea to bring seal jerky with him next time he visited Tenzin’s family. Sokka’s recipe would surely keep them satisfied.

By the time the children were scraping their plates clean of desserts, night had fallen on Shuhon Island. He led the children out into the courtyard and told them to all sit down for a show. This had always been Zuko and Sokka's favorite part of their visits, and although not having Sokka to join him for it crushed his soul he kept the tradition up in his late husband's honor. He was no extravagant storyteller like his late husband, but at least he still had the main attraction.

Zuko clapped his hands together, earning the attention of every adult and child in sight. “Now,” he boomed in his Firelord voice, “can everyone point which way I need to go to get to the Southern Water Tribe?” As he had been doing this little show for decades now, the fingers being pointed in every which way had not surprised him. One boy even pointed upwards. “Up?” Zuko laughed. “I haven’t tried that yet. The reason I am asking is because I have something that belongs to them that needs to be returned home. Has anyone heard of the Southern Lights?”

A little girl in the front shot her hand in the air, bouncing in excitement. “The colors in the sky!”

“Yes!” Zuko exclaimed. “Exactly!” Oh boy, he thought. This was going to be way rougher without Sokka here. “A long, long time ago, I fell in love with a warrior from the Southern Water Tribe. He was strong and brave, and the most clever man I have ever met.” A hush fell over the crowd. Zuko smiled. “He had wanted to give me something that nobody had been gifted before, so he decided that he was going to catch all the stars in the sky for me.” He gestured upwards, and while the children gazed in wonder he noted how the light pollution was hiding most of the stars. If Sokka was here they probably would’ve broken down in laughter. The few stars visible paled in comparison to the crowded night skies of their youth… he probably would have to change the story a little. “He began to weave a giant net, one big enough to run across the sky and rake in all the stars, but the heat from even _one_ star would burn his net into nothing. So, he set his sights on the Southern Lights, which dip down near the Earth and dance in the night. So he weaved a tighter net, one that would capture them in their dance, and caught them all for me.” Zuko heard a few gasps in his young audience. “Would you like to see?”

Of course "yes!" was the answer, and his crowd went wild. “To keep them safe I’ve kept them hidden in my fire, so let me see if I can find them…” In his hand, a small flame erupted from thin air. Unlike other places in the world where this alone has gotten gasps from children, the fire nation orphans were not impressed. With his other hand, he pretended to card his fingers through the flame, in search of his Southern Lights. “I found them!” he remarked, and gave the children a few seconds to brace for impact. In a motion that made it look like he was plucking and throwing the colors from his flame, he shot out a large streak of purple dragon fire. He could feel their shock and awe in his bones. Zuko shot another ball, this one pink, above their heads. It streaked above their heads and left a beautiful tail of light before disappearing into the night. Now that he had everyone’s attention captured, the show could really begin. Blues, greens, oranges, pinks, purples, and even reds flew over his audience, adults and children both mesmerized. The adults knew that the former Firelord didn’t really have the Southern Lights, but he did have dragon fire, which was virtually non-existent. Plus there was the whole deal with him being the former Firelord and giving a private show to them. He wondered if any of the caretakers had seen the show themselves when they were children, as it was entirely possible.

Their little show had started in their youth as way to entertain children in their care, which seemed to happen more than they would've liked to admit. In the beginning it was a simple display of Dragon Fire, but when a young boy in the Southern Water Tribe commented that it looked like the Southern Lights, it got the gears in Sokka's brain churning. Being a man from the oral tradition, Sokka was able to spin Zuko's dragon fire into an epic tale about their love. Plus, this was before Druk entered their lives and the true source needed to stay a secret. But no feeling could compare to how he felt when Sokka told the story, always adding excerpts about his love for Zuko. If his husband could have reached into the sky and had given him the Southern Lights, he really would've. Zuko would swoon at the thought of the story they had weaved together until the day he died.

The colors bursting in the air began to slow their pace, and Zuko allowed the final bursts of light to fizzle out in the dark sky. “You don’t want them to run out before I can take them home, do you?” he asked. He mostly got “no’s” and a few selfish “yesses”. He really did love kids. “I must be on my way now, children!” He took a small whistle out of his pocket and blew it. “Who told me to go upwards? I think I’ll try that this time!”

From the sky descended a large red dragon, and his young audience was unable to contain their excitement. When he climbed onto the dragons back he waved to the children. “Good night, everyone!” With that, the dragon took off from the ground and the kids sprung up from their seats, waving. The dragon flew in a couple of low circles around the perimeter of the courtyard, breathing fire. Druk had taken after both of his father's in that regard. Once Druk stopped showing off, they flew high up in the air. Back home to Caldera City it was.

The next morning the Orphanage received large packages which contained new clothes, shoes, linens, books and toys. With it the caretakers were left a note which contained the private address and the official seal of the Firelord.

To most of the World, he was Firelord Zuko. But for the children that he performed to he was known primarily as the man who held the Southern Lights in his hands. And personally, he liked that title much more.

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings! 
> 
> I've got my passport ready and I'm excited to finally make my grand entrance into the Zukka Nation! I have a lot of feelings about Sokka and Zuko to express, and I'm especially soft for Zuko in his old age living healthily because he's had a lifetime of love and growth. I'm currently writing a fic where this little story-telling/dragon fire show tradition began but thought it better to introduce the concept this way. 
> 
> I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Of course the children would recognize Fire Lord Zuko!" Well, they are kids and he diiiiiid leave his headpiece at home. He also abdicated the throne a couple years prior and, I mean, c'mon. Orphans got bigger fish to fry. 
> 
> If you'd like to follow me on tumblr my account is @marxistzukka, and I always love recieving feedback about my works or headcanons about things I love, including Zukka.


End file.
